


I'll Never be a Stranger and I'll Never be Alone

by itwas_red



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-06-05 12:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itwas_red/pseuds/itwas_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of random, likely unrelated drabbles. This is a place for me to put anything I'm not sure I can make into a full story. Many pairings and ideas. Some canon-compliant, some not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Across from an Orange Jumpsuit

**Author's Note:**

> I'll put the pairing, if any, in the notes. This one is Tommy/Felicity.

Felicity smoothed out her skirt as she waited to step through the metal detectors. Tommy was already on the other side pushing his wallet back into his pocket and turning to offer her an encouraging smile. She smiled back and stepped through the arch, rolling her eyes when it beeped loudly.

Moving forward, she lifted her arms to run perpendicular to her body. “I have a lot of jewelry,” she informed the stoic security guard as she ran the wand over her body. And then came the pat down. “Don’t you think you should offer to buy me dinner first?” Tommy snorted but the woman did not so Felicity decided that keeping her mouth shut was probably for the best at the moment. No need to get herself locked up too.

Once they were both done and Felicity had retrieved her purse, they headed down the hallway to the visitation area. When she’d gone to visit Cooper back in college, they’d had to use phones and there was a plate of glass or plastic or _something_ between them. Now, she and Tommy were ushered into an open room with tables set up and she had to wonder if it was because of who he was or how much money he had.

Used to have.

“Father.”

Felicity was snapped out of her thoughts as Tommy addressed the man in the orange jumpsuit on the other side of one of the table.

“Tommy,” Malcolm Merlyn stated, his voice a silky drawl. “Miss Smoak.”

She gave the psychopath a tight smile before sliding into the chair Tommy slid out for her. “Mr. Merlyn.”

Malcolm seated himself after Tommy, then folded his cuffed hands on the table in front of him. Felicity studied _The Magician_ , her body tight and on alert. He may be behind bars but Felicity knew she and Tommy were far from safe. If it came down to it, even the training Digg and Oliver had instilled in her probably wouldn’t be much of a match for the dangerous man across the table.

“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? You look like you have something on your mind, son,” the older man said as he turned his full attention to the younger Merlyn.

“I do,” Tommy replied as his hand slid under the table to grasp Felicity’s. “It’s about Merlyn Global.”

“I was under the impression that there was nothing left of it but a skyscraper with another name on it. And probably Miss Smoak’s trojan.”

She couldn’t help but smile to herself. That had been such a nerve-wracking but incredible experience for her. Oliver had left her to fend for herself – not of his own volition, of course – and Diggle had saved her by saying she was one of Tommy’s groupies. She turned the fond smile onto the man next to her, who looked at her with confusion, but she just shrugged one shoulder and turned to Malcolm. “I think I’m flattered that you think my programs can survive a complete dismantling of system. But no, there’s no reason for that program to still be running. Merlyn Global is actually an insurance firm now. Or, well, the _building_ is. Your company fell to the ground when you committed mass murder.”

“Felicity,” Tommy murmured and she sighed because he was right. Turning his attention back to his father, he continued his earlier thought. “I’ve finally been able to reclaim my ownership share in what was left. Not much was,” he said sourly. “But I’ve got it now and I thought you should know.” He paused and scratched his nose, glancing around the room. “And I’m going to sell it.”

Malcolm was silent for a moment, his eyes locked on his son. When he finally spoke, his voice was steely. “You’re telling me that you fought to get my company back – our _family’s company_ back – and you’re just going to sell it? And who, exactly, did you deem worthy enough to take on the Merlyn name?”

Tommy’s mouth opened to respond but Felicity squeezed his hand and gave him an excited and hopeful smile. _Let me_ , she begged with her eyes. _Please, please, please._ And when he sighed, she knew she won.

A brilliant smile appeared on her lips as she turned to Malcolm. “That would be me.” She saw his eyes widen slightly and she decided now was the perfect time to go in for the kill. “And in more than one way.” Slowly, dramatically, she raised her left hand, wiggling her fingers at him so that the light could catch the ring that was situated there. “So really, _Dad_ , we _are_ keeping it all in the family.”

Malcolm shot to his feet and in an instant, guards were surrounding him.

Felicity stood then, too, and Tommy followed with a bemused expression on his face. “I’d say we’d send you an invitation to the celebration of the grand opening of – what did we decide? MQ Industries?” she asked, glancing at her husband. “Whichever. I’ll remember when it’s time for me to be all CEO-y. But, as I was saying, we’d send an invitation but I’m pretty sure you’ll be rotting in your cell. Tommy?” she asked, her voice sweet.

“We thought it would be better for you to hear it from family rather than the media,” he told his father, the corner of his mouth ticked up. “Be glad we didn’t bring Felicity’s partner in. I think he might be more excited than my wife.”

“Partner?” Malcolm growled.

“Oliver Queen, of course,” Felicity answered with a grin. “What did you _think_ the Q stood for?”

Malcolm lunged then, but he was stopped by the guards who hadn’t gone far from his side. “You can’t do this!”

“Oh,” she breathed, “I can and I did. And I’m sure if Ray was … here … he would approve the acquisition whole-heartedly. We’ll make sure to send you pictures of the event … _Dad_.”

Without another word, Felicity turned and headed for the doors out of the meeting room, Tommy on her heels. “You couldn’t resist, could you?” he asked lowly, his hand landing on her elbow as he directed her in the correct direction. “You just _had_ to rile him up.”

She lifted a shoulder and gave her husband a cheeky grin. “I know you didn’t expect me to be on my best behavior.”

They exited the building and headed back out into the sun, Tommy shaking his head as he breathed in the fresh air. “This sinister side of you is …” She arched a brow as she waited for their driver to open the back door of the town car. “Sexy,” he finished, his voice a little higher than usual. “Sexy. Definitely sexy.”

Felicity laughed and settled into her seat, immediately reaching over to take Tommy’s hand once he was inside as well. “Good answer, Mr. Merlyn,” she murmured before leaning over and brushing her lips across his.

“I thought you might like it, Mrs. Merlyn,” he breathed in reply, drawing her in for a deeper kiss.

After a moment or two, they split apart. “I think we’ll head home instead of the office, Josh,” she informed her driver, her eyes locked on her husband’s. Because, yeah, maybe being a little sinister made her feel as sexy as Tommy thought it made her.


	2. In a Moment of Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Felicity waits for Oliver to get in the limo, she calls one of the people who wasn't at Laurel's funeral but should have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for 04x19 "Canary Cry".

“How is he?”

Felicity sighed, a frown tugging at her lips. There was no good answer to the question her mother asked. “Broken,” she replied because it was true. “Lost.”

She heard her mother suck in a deep, shaky breath and it caused her to do the same. She was sitting in Oliver’s limo, eyes staring out the window as her ex-fiancé stood in front of Laurel’s grave. She couldn’t tell if he was crying but she wouldn’t have been surprised if he was.

“How’s Oliver?”

She shook her head, not knowing how to answer. “Blaming himself, probably,” she breathed. “He’s still. He’s still with her. Laurel. He’s out there with her. I don’t think he’s ready to leave her alone ju-just yet.”

A tear slipped down her cheek as she felt a giant lump form in her throat. She should have stayed out there too. She wasn’t ready to let go of Laurel either. They had never been the best of friends but they’d been growing steadily closer. Laurel had been there for her last year after she left Oliver in Nanda Parbat and after that, there seemed to have been some kind of understanding between the two of them.

And now she was gone.

“Why aren’t you here?” Felicity asked thickly, her eyes now focused on Barry as he stood beside Oliver. “Why didn’t you …?”

“His wife is there, honey. He – we … it was …” Donna Smoak may not have been as eloquent as others but she rarely stuttered. It made Felicity’s heart clench. “She doesn’t know and the funeral of her daughter isn’t exactly the best place to spring a new girlfriend on your ex-wife, you know?”

No, Felicity didn’t know. Because Dinah and Detective Lance weren’t getting back together, wouldn’t be spending the night together, wouldn’t be comforting in a loving way. Lance _needed_ her mother and she wasn’t there. “You still should have come. You shouldn’t have made him go through this alone. His ex won’t be enough. You need – you need to _be here_.”

The line was quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from their breathing. “Baby.”

“She _died_ , Mom,” Felicity cried. “She was _killed_. And no one could stop it. She had the best doctors in Starling and they – and she …”

Blinking away her tears, she looked up and saw Barry zoom away before Oliver approached Laurel’s headstone. She knew it wouldn’t be long and she needed time to compose herself before Oliver got into the car. “I have to go,” she said softly. “Go to the airport. There’ll be a plane ticket for you. Just … _please_ come.” She was silent for a beat before adding, “Captain Lance isn’t the only one who needs you.”

Felicity hung up before her mother could reply. She shut her phone off and took a deep breath as she slid it into her jacket pocket. Oliver was standing now and she knew it was only a matter of minutes before he got in the car and she would be faced with a man so broken she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to put him back together.

She was silent when he finally arrived, her speech running through her head as she waited for her opportunity. There was no way she could keep herself separated from Team Arrow anymore. There would be no more blood on any of their hands. No one but Damien Darhk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It really bothered me that Donna wasn't there so I wrote a little something to explain why she wasn't.


	3. Interrupted Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oliv –“ She stopped, something clanging against her teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver/Felicity - how their dessert should have gone.

While Oliver got dessert, Felicity placed her hand on her stomach and complained that she couldn’t possibly eat anymore. It wasn’t true but without being in Star City, without training, Felicity’s exercise came mostly from having sex with her boyfriend and the five crunches she made sure to do every morning. She wasn’t so vain that she thought she was getting fat or anything but she was sure eating the soufflé that Oliver made for her would push her over the edge and force her into a gym membership.

Or maybe she could convince him that more sex as needed to keep her trim figure. She had a feeling he would be more approving of that then he going to a co-ed gym in shorts and a tank top. She made a mental note to frame it like that.

“Just a bite or two,” she agreed as he stepped into the dining room and carefully placed one of the two delicious-looking desserts in front of her. “God, Oliver. I would have run away with you a lot sooner if I knew I would be treated to food like this,” she grinned.

He returned her smile, ducking down to press a kiss against her lips before returning to his own seat. “If I had known how great it would feel to be away from all that, I would have let you run away with me sooner.” He lifted his spoon and let it hover over his dessert, eyes on Felicity. “Aren’t you going to try some?”

“I’m trying to determine the best place to start,” she told him, her eyes moving over the treat in front of her. “It looks so good. I’m fighting the urge to grab my phone and snap a photo to post to Instagram to taunt your sister and John with.”

Oliver laughed and shook his head. “How about you do that _after_ you try some?”

Eyes narrowed, she looked up to him. “You’re pretty insistent about me eating this soufflé, mister. What’s going on?”

He shrugged innocently and took a scoop of his own, spooning it into his mouth. “Just want to know what you think of it,” he answered in a mostly-nonchalant manner. “So …”

Sighing, Felicity lifted her spoon and scooped some out, moving it to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she moaned. “Oliv –“ She stopped, something clanging against her teeth. With a frown, she turned to the side to fish out whatever it was and paused when she felt the weight of it in her hand. Eyes wide, she slowly turned to see Oliver. He wasn’t in his seat though. Instead, he was on one knee in front of her, a nervous smile on his face.

“Felicity,” he said with a smile, his hand reaching out to take the _huge diamond ring_ from her palm. With a frown, he reached down and pulled up the bottom of his shirt to wipe off the whipped cream that was covering it. “Sorry. That was – didn’t think that part through,” he informed her with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry. Okay,” he added once it was cleaned off, though she knew it was going to be taken to a jeweler to get really cleaned. “Felicity Smoak …” he began as he took her left hand in his.

“Yes,” she answered quickly, eyes wide as she nodded. “Wait. You didn’t ask me anything. I’m just assuming. That could be – it could just be a ring and you’re on your knee because it was in my mouth and you wanted to make sure I didn’t choke on it. Even though it’s obvious that I didn’t choke since the ring is in your hand and I’m babbling, which will stop in three, two, one.” She took a breath, her cheeks hot, and tried not to be affected by the smile on Oliver’s face. “Sorry. Go on.”

Oliver chuckled, squeezing Felicity’s hand before taking a breath. “God I love you,” he breathed out, unable to form any other words in the moment. “And I hope you never stop doing that.” He ran his thumb lightly over her ring finger, his eyes on the digit before he looked up and smiled at her. “Will you marry me?”

Felicity couldn’t stop the smile from breaking out on her face. “Yes!” she exclaimed, wiggling her fingers as best she could until he began to slide the ring onto her finger. “Oh my God.” Her eyes were set on the diamond, unable to look away until Oliver took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and directing their mouths together in a deep kiss.

Felicity slid from the chair to kneel in front of her boyfriend – fiancé – and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him with fervor. She was pretty sure the streak of not having sex in the dining room was about to end in the next few minutes. “I love you so much,” she murmured as the doorbell rang.

“Ignore that,” he breathed. “And I love you too.”

The doorbell rang a few more times in rapid succession and then a set of heavy knocks sounded against the door. “It better not be the Hoffmans,” she grumbled. “You know they won’t go away unless someone gets it. You clean up _that_ dessert and go upstairs to get ready for the _fun_ kind.”

Felicity gave him one more kiss before pushing to her feet and heading towards the door. She pulled it open with a wide, fake smile and then frowned when she saw Thea and Laurel on the other side. “What …?”

“Can we come in?” Thea asked, already pushing her way inside. “It was a long flight and I kind of need to use the little hero’s room.”

Swallowing, Felicity stepped back to let them both in then shut the door once they were clear. She took a fortifying breath and wrung her hands together as she stepped into the living room with their visitors in tow. “Oliver?” she called out, her voice strained. “It’s for you.”


	4. Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara / Felicity friendship post "Canary Cry". Sara visits Laurel's grave. Slight Oliver/Felicity and Sara/Snart.

“I was hoping you’d get my message,” Felicity said softly as she stepped further onto the dewy grass of the cemetery. It was the middle of the night but she couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t sure when the last time she actually slept _was_. She knew she laid in her bed in the penthouse at Palmer Tech but did she sleep?

How could she? Her mind was racing all the time, wondering if everyone she loved was okay, wondering how to kill Darhk, wondering if her message had ever gotten to Sara.

They all knew she was likely the only one who would be able to tell the time traveling Lance about her sister.

Obviously the message hadn’t gotten to her in time for her to attend Laurel’s funeral. She’d waited and watched and prayed but nothing. No badass blonde in sight.

Felicity had been back every night since, hoping to find Sara here. It wasn’t fair that she hadn’t been able to say goodbye.

She was here now, though, dressed in black, head bowed as she stood in front of her sister’s grave. She didn’t acknowledge that Felicity had arrived but that was okay; Felicity hadn’t expected her to.

Instead of going on an endless babble, Felicity hung back, her arms wrapped around her middle as she too stared at Laurel’s grave. Tears clouded her eyes and forced her to look away. She had no idea if Sara was crying but something about the moment told her that if she wasn’t, she would if Felicity did. While she thought mourning was important, she didn’t know if that was the best way for Sara to do it.

She selfishly hoped the remaining Lance sister would volunteer to stay and help them kill Damien Darhk.

“She’s really in there?”

Sara’s voice was soft, broken, and Felicity didn’t want to answer her because she knew her voice would be the same. She couldn’t leave her friend hanging, though, so she forced out a quiet, “Yes.” Knowing she could do better, be stronger, she cleared her throat and reiterated, “Yes. She’s … really there.”

“Whose idea was it to put _that_ there?”

Felicity took a moment to observe the headstone before she understood what Sara was referencing. “Oliver. There was … right after she died, a girl stole her voice modulator, dressed up as The Black Canary and tried to kill the mayor. Oli – Oliver wasn’t going to let them destroy her legacy like that.”

Sara fell silent again and Felicity took another step back, leaving her alone with her sister. She was considering just leaving, not hovering, when she felt a hand grip her own and lace their fingers together. “How’s my dad?”

“He’s … I mean. I can’t …”Felicity took a breath and let it out slowly. “Broken,” she answered. “He’s not drinking, though. My mom’s with him a lot,” at that, Sara’s brow arched, “and I check in on him. Oliver does too. Nyssa was here.”

“He probably wanted to try to …”

“Yeah,” Felicity answered breathlessly. “Nyssa already destroyed it.”

“Good,” Sara whispered. “Laurel shouldn’t have to live with that darkness. She … she might not have been able to beat it.”

Felicity wanted to tell Sara that her sister was strong, so strong, but she couldn’t because she thought the same thing. Laurel had a lot more light in her than Sara and Thea did. Instead of speaking, Felicity just squeezed Sara’s hand and stood quietly by her side.

“How long can you stay?” Felicity asked, turning her head slightly to look at the side of Sara’s head. “Can you see your dad? Oliver?”

Sara shook her head, tipping it slightly to the right. “My bodyguard’s hidden in the shadows over there. “ At Felicity’s arched brow, Sara laughed. “Yeah, he insisted on coming. I don’t know if he thought I was going to run off and try to kill the son of a bitch who did this or what, but he insisted on coming out with me.”

Leaning forward slightly, Felicity searched the shadows and spotted a large figure. She wiggled her fingers in a wave before standing back up. “Tall, dark and handsome?”

“Kleptomaniac,” Sara retorted, looking over towards the person and then over to Felicity. “But, you know.”

That brought a smile to Felicity’s face. “Yeah?”

Sara just shrugged but there was a smile at the corner of her lips. “How’s the wedding planning?”

“Oh. Uh,” Felicity breathed, “We’re not … getting married.” She felt her stomach swoop and the familiar nausea settled in. “We’re not together anymore. I actually …” The words got stuck in her throat so she took a moment to gather herself before continuing. “I gave him the ring back and left the team. I needed to not … be around him. I knew if I was, I wouldn’t be able to stay away. I mean,” she laughed hollowly, tears forming in her eyes again, “we had a fake wedding, you know? Well, obviously you don’t know because you’ve been all over time and space. But I left and … and I wasn’t there.” Her eyes moved back to Laurel’s headstone and she let one tear slip from her eye. “And I’m sorry for that.”

Sara nodded, not telling her it was okay because they both knew it wasn’t. Sara didn’t blame her, she knew, didn’t blame anyone but Darhk, but Sara understood what it felt like to need to help someone and not do it. Hindsight or not, someone who’s a member of a team needs to be there. That’s why Felicity knew Sara wasn’t going to stay and go after Darhk. She had her own team now and she wouldn’t leave them behind. Or let them leave her behind.

A throat clearing broke the silence and Felicity bent forward to look at the shadows again. “Man of few words, huh?”

“He’s not a big fan of heroes most of the time,” Sara retorted with an eye roll. “Especially ones that can probably destroy him like you.”

Felicity laughed and dropped Sara’s hand to pull her into a hug. “Tell him if he doesn’t treat you right, I’ll hunt him down in every time line and make him pay.”

Sara was quiet for a moment before whispering, “Tell Ollie the same thing,” she answered, her voice low but somewhat distant. “Whatever happened to split you up … don’t let that be the end of your story. You make each other better.” Pulling back, Sara held Felicity at arm’s length and gave her an encouraging grin. “Men are idiots for the most part. But so are women.” She turned and looked over her shoulder before returning her gaze to Felicity and winking. “We should both try to be a little less stupid.”

“Yeah,” Felicity breathed as Sara took a few steps back, retreating towards her shadowy bodyguard. “Maybe.”

“I’ll be in touch,” Sara promised. “I mean … I think I need to hear why _your mom_ is spending time with _my dad_.”

At that, Felicity groaned. “You’d better come back. I can’t deal with that whole thing on my own.”

“Stay safe, Felicity. Stay strong.”

“You too, Sara,” Felicity called, her hand in the air in a wave. “Go save, um, time.”

“Will do, cutie,” Sara grinned. “Now go put something bright and pretty on and save my city!”

Felicity smiled, eyes following Sara until she couldn’t see her anymore before she finally turned away. She didn’t leave though, instead just standing in front of Laurel’s grave. “You were lucky to have her,” she whispered as she pulled a stone from her pocket and approached the headstone, laying it on top. “And I promise I’ll look after her for you.”

After a silent prayer, Felicity stepped back and breathed for a moment before heading for her car. She probably wouldn’t sleep tonight but she thought now she might be able to finally rest.


	5. And I am Only Fighting Fire with Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College AU. Oliver/Felicity, slight Tommy/Felicity and Oliver/Laurel.

It wasn’t unusual for Felicity to let herself into the apartment Tommy and Oliver shared in Cambridge. In fact, she was pretty sure she stayed there more than her dorm room. The benefits of dating one of the guys with their name on the lease, she supposed.

Tonight, though, she avoided her on-again-off-again boyfriend’s room and made her way into Tommy’s. The lights were off and she could only see one form in the bed, though that didn’t mean he was alone. She had to be vigilant – she didn’t want to get in bed with him and a _guest_. _Again_.

“Either shut the door and get in bed or get out and shut the door,” came the muffled, sleepy voice of her best friend.

“Charmer,” she murmured as she pushed the door shut and slid off her flip flops. “Are you alone?”

“Mhm,” he hummed, rolling towards the door and holding up the blanket. “For now. You’re gon’ be in with me in a second.”

Chuckling lightly, Felicity moved over to the bed and climbed under the covers, immediately curling into Tommy’s side.

“Over?” he asked as his arms came around her.

“Uh huh,” she breathed. “I think for good this time.”

“How about we talk about it in the morning when it’s too bright out to sleep?”

Felicity nodded, shifting around a bit and nudging Tommy to lie on his back so she could pillow her head on his chest. He pulled the comforter up over their heads and then wrapped his arms around her before they both slipped into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Felicity woke up to the smell of coffee and two male voices. Of _course_ she didn’t get out before Oliver wandered home.

Their breakup went as they usually did. There was no yelling or crying, just a simple conversation. Oliver never cheated on her, not once, but his attention didn’t always stay with her. She didn’t care, really, if he flirted with other girls but when his interest wandered too far, they broke up. He called it making sure she was the one. She called it him being a jackass.

Needless to say, his interest had wandered again.

This breakup felt different though. It wasn’t the first time she and Oliver had broken up so that he could “test the waters” with Laurel Lance. Felicity knew he’d cheated on Laurel the last time they were together and she had to wonder if he was getting with Laurel so he could have regular sex with her _and_ someone else. Or more than one someone else.

Oliver always told her he loved her and could never hurt her by cheating. For a long time she wondered what was wrong with her, wondered why he couldn’t commit to be with her. But as their relationship(s) grew, she realized that she wasn’t the problem, he was. It didn’t mean she didn’t love him, it just meant that maybe they weren’t as compatible as they thought.

Oliver going back to Laurel again even when they weren’t in the same city made her realize that maybe it was time to end things for good. It wasn’t the first time but she’d decided the night before that it was the last.

Part of her wanted to get changed and walk out in only a t-shirt stolen from Tommy but she didn’t because she wasn’t mad at Oliver, not really. She didn’t really feel hurt, either. It was like she felt settled for the first time in a long time. No more dangling _some days_. They were over and she was okay with that. Hopefully he would be too.

Taking a moment to run her fingers through her hair and then pull it back into a messy bun, Felicity tried to decide what she was going to do when she got into the main part of the apartment. She could act nonchalant, unaffected. That was probably the best option so without giving herself a chance to choose something else, she exited Tommy’s room and headed in the direction of the coffee.

“Morning,” Tommy said as soon as he laid eyes on her. “Thanks for the in-bed shower this morning.”

“Shut up,” she muttered, wiping the corner of her mouth.

“And for the concert when I got home.” At her blank look, Oliver shut his eyes and opened his mouth wide, an exaggerated snoring noise coming from the back of his throat.

“I hate you both. I’m going to go find new friends,” she frowned, moving to the cabinet to pull her mug down. She filled it with coffee and then cream and sugar before taking a long drink and humming in approval. “You made the good stuff.”

“Didn’t know which version of Post-Breakup Felicity we were going to be faced with,” Oliver said, his cheeks pink and his voice slightly higher than he probably would have liked.

“The one who slept with Tommy last night,” she retorted immediately before her cheeks flamed and she sputtered, “As in slept in the same bed together. Wearing clothes.”

“This time,” Tommy grumbled under his breath.

“Shut up,” she dismissed. “We haven’t done _that_ in a while.”

“Too long,” he shot back with a charming grin before opening the freezer and pulling out a box of Eggos. “Whose turn is it to cook?”

“Not Felicity’s,” Oliver interjected, grabbing the box and opening it. “And how long is a while?”

Felicity rolled her eyes and took another gulp of her coffee. “None of your business. Just because you like to brag about your sex life when we’re broken up –“

“On a break.”

“ _Broken up_. Doesn’t mean I do.” She glanced over at Tommy who was now smiling into his own coffee mug, a far-off look in his eyes. It made her wonder if he was thinking about her and them and _that_.

And now, of course, she was.

“Whatever. I’d say I have a right to know but I really don’t think I want to,” Oliver told her, his voice sounding oddly petulant.

“You _don’t_ have a right since we weren’t together and aren’t now. Speaking of, talk to Laurel yet today?” Felicity asked, a faux-innocent smile on her lips.

He stared at her, a frown tugging down the corner of his lips. He looked like he was trying to work through something in his mind and she saw the second he did. He realized they were over, really over, and she felt her stomach drop out at the look on his face. “Felicity.”

Smiling softly, she put her coffee mug down on the counter and cupper Oliver’s jaw with both of her hands. “It’s okay,” she promised him. “This is okay. _We’re_ okay.”

“But –“

“It’s _okay_. Call Laurel.”

“I – I told her last night,” he said quietly, his adams apple bobbing.

“Good,” Felicity replied softly. “But let her know she doesn’t need to worry about this anymore.” She pushed up to her toes and kissed his cheek softly before dropping back to her heels and grabbing her coffee. “Now make me some breakfast. I’m starving.”

“She always eats us out of house and home after you two break up,” Tommy directs at Oliver. “I think maybe instead of waffles, you need to go down to Starbucks or something and get us an expensive, non-our-food breakfast.” When Felicity nodded eagerly, Tommy added, “See? Go buy us good things.”

Laughing, Oliver nodded his assent. He grabbed his wallet and raised a hand in parting, knowing what the two of them would want anyway.

“So …”

“Don’t,” she laughed as she pulled herself up onto the counter and took another sip from her coffee mug. “Oliver and I just broke up last night.”

“What’s the acceptable waiting period?” he asked as he nudged his way between her thighs. “A day? Two? A week?”

Felicity smiled and gave him a wink. “ _If_ we get to a point where the timing feels right, we’ll know. And if _we_ don’t know, _I’ll_ tell you.”

Tommy laughed and pulled back, shaking his head. “You’re dangerous.”

“Danger is my middle name,” she informed him solemnly. “I just tricked everyone into thinking it’s Megan.”

“Felicity Danger Smoak. I like it. It fits.”

Snorting, she shook her head and finished off her coffee. “I’m going to go shower before Oliver gets back,” she told him as she slid off the counter. “And get that look off your face; you’re not joining me.” She patted his chest and headed down the hallway and into the sole bathroom in the apartment.

“One day that’s gonna work,” he called out with a laugh as she shut the door behind her, her own laugh echoing through the small room, causing him to smile.


	6. Loose Lips Sink Ships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy & Felicity friendship, slight Olicity. Roy and Felicity have a drink and he experiences a Felicity Rant for the first time.

“I never really liked beer,” Felicity said as she brought the bottle to her lips again. “At all. And this tastes _horrible_.”

“So why are you drinking it?” Roy asked as he brought his own bottle to his lips and took a long pull.

“Are you even old enough to drink?”

Roy snorted and rolled his eyes. Everyone always assumed he was younger than he was. Diggle said it was because he was _stupid and reckless_ and Oliver said it was because he was _immature and careless_. “How old do you think I am?” he asked her, his bottle pressed against his lips but not drinking.

“Don’t know. Younger than me?” she questioned, setting her beer down and reaching up to scratch her cheek. “Not by a whole lot but, like, maybe twenty?”

“Older,” he told her with a nod. “Actually, I might be older than you. How old are you?”

“Roy Harper!” the blonde gasped, swinging her feet off the table and sitting up, staring at him in disbelief. “You’re not supposed to ask a _lady_ how _old_ she is! That’s unprof – well, we’re not exactly in a professional setting right now despite our location but still. Um. It’s just rude. Some girls – _women!_ – are sensitive about disclosing their age.”

“Are you one of them?”

“No. I’m young and _beautiful_ and _smart_ ,” she stressed, her eyes swinging towards the glass wall that separated her desk from Oliver’s office. He was in there with Diggle and Roy had to wonder exactly why she was raising her voice towards them. Maybe she had a thing for Digg.

“Sure,” he agreed. She shot him a look that was pretty damn terrifying so he amended, “Absolutely. So beautiful and totally smart.” She looked satisfied so he let out a slow breath. “So are you gonna tell me how old you are?”

“Nope,” she grinned. “But once you learn how to research properly, I’ll unlock some basic info on myself and let you find it.” She took another swig of her beer and leaned back, lifting her feet to her desk again. “So tell me … what has you up here tonight?”

Roy shrugged, draining his beer. “Oliver told me to stay close and Thea’s mad at me for … well, let’s just say she has a reason to be mad that I can’t explain to her so I figured I could hang out with you while you waited to go home with Oliver.”

“I’m not going home with Oliver!” felicity pretty much shouted at him. “I don’t – we don’t – that’s not … there’s no going home with Oliver. He has a home and I have a home and they’re not the same home and we don’t go to either of them together.”

Jaw slack, Roy stared at his drinking companion with a mix of amusement and horror. He’d been told that Felicity had a penchant for rambling but this was the first time he really experienced it and he figured it had to be the Eighth Wonder of the World. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked terrified of what she’d said. He had no idea why, either. Sure, it was pretty epic as far as word vomit went but she didn’t say anything really bad.

“I just meant that Oliver and I don’t live together or share a living space at all for any reason.”

“I didn’t think you did,” he said slowly. “I just meant that you usually wait for him to leave. Either from here or from, you know, your night job.”

“Right,” she breathed, forcing a smile. “I – I knew that.”

He was pretty sure she didn’t but he didn’t get a chance to tease her about it because the door opened and Oliver came out, a slightly distressed look on his face.

“You okay?” his boss asked and Roy was about to answer when he saw Oliver bend down to look into Felicity’s eyes.

“I’m fine,” she promised with a breathless laugh. “Just a misunderstanding.”

A pair of fierce blue eyes latched onto him and he felt like he was punched in the gut or something and he didn’t really know why. Oliver growled something at him but he didn’t hear it, frowning instead as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Harper! I asked you a question.”

“What? Sorry. I didn’t … what was the question?”

“Oliver, stop,” Felicity cajoled quietly, her hand moving to her boss’ shoulder. “It was silly. He didn’t do anything wrong. I promise.”

Roy really had no idea what was going on but he wanted no part of it. He’d rather have another fight with Thea than spend time sitting here with Diggle’s barely-contained laughter, Oliver’s glare and Felicity’s pleading voice. It was weird and he felt uncomfortable and wanted nothing at all to do with it anymore. “I’m gonna just …” He trailed off, motioning over his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow night. Yeah,” he added, standing and heading towards the elevator. “I’m gonna go. Now.” He paused and then nodded, walking as quickly as he could to get the hell away from whatever was happening. “Bye!”

Once he was safely inside the elevator, he let out a breath and leaned against the wall. He had no idea what happened and why Oliver was freaking out or why Diggle was trying not to laugh and he was pretty sure he didn’t want to know. At all. Ever. It kind of made him wonder what he was getting himself involved in with this group of people. Whatever was going on, he hoped it worked itself out because he was pretty sure there was no way he would be able to concentrate on learning if Oliver was pissed at him for whatever reason.

Pushing the last few minutes out of his mind, he grabbed his phone and called Thea. Hopefully she’d calmed down and he could head to the bar to work off the awkwardness that seemed to be clinging to him after what had just happened.


	7. Here Comes the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A 4x23 follow-up.
> 
> “So … should I start calling you Mr. Mayor?”

“So … should I start calling you Mr. Mayor?” she asked after a couple minutes, her eyes still on the suits in line before them. Spartan – on hiatus; Green Arrow; Speedy – on hiatus; Black Canary – gone. Felicity’s heart pounded in her chest as she went back to the second one.

Green Arrow – gone?

Oliver was Mayor now. So many things were going to change for all of them. Or at least those of them who were still in Star City. John left after telling Oliver he needed some space. She had no idea what that meant but she was pretty sure he wasn’t going to find it here. Thea was who-knows-where doing who-knows-what hopefully _not_ with Malcolm Merlyn. And god help her, she didn’t have any idea where _that_ psycho went and while she was unendingly grateful that he and Thea had kept Curtis safe while she was talking to Cooper, she wanted him in a containment cell under Central City where he couldn’t unleash hell on them for a while.

They all deserved a break. Most of all Oliver.

“Please don’t,” her companion chuckled breathlessly in reply. “I’d like to keep _one_ part of my life normal.”

Felicity couldn’t blame him for that, not one bit. “Shame,” she said before she could stop herself, “I used to fantasize about that.” The room fell silent and she couldn’t do anything but blush and shake her head. “Not that you needed to know that right now.”

“You say that if I didn’t already,” he teased, a smile on his face.

“Shut up,” she grumbled, her hands moving to fold in front of her. “Definitely not the point right now.” What the point was, she really didn’t know.

She couldn’t remember the last time she was alone with Oliver and there wasn’t some kind of awful tension between them. Before she gave him back the ring, for sure. Absently, her left thumb moved to slide over the skin of her ring finger.

It happened to her sometimes, reaching for something that wasn’t there. Reaching for _someone_ who wasn’t there. She missed him almost every day but she knew that they weren’t fixed. After his speech, after his triumph, after their conversation by Laurel’s grave, she thought it would be so easy to take his hand and bring him back to the loft, fall back into old habits and move forward with their relationship. And _God_ did she want that right now.

But they’d tried the easy way last time, ignoring all of the tension and the bad stuff that had happened to and around them, and run away. They built an insulated life together and cut everything else out. Well, at least he did. She’d gone behind his back and stayed with the team. He’d been content to leave this life behind them and she’d tried, she really had, but it hadn’t worked.

How were they supposed to be together and forget what brought them together in the first place?

“Did you actually have one? A point?” he continued. She must have made some kind of face that told him she hadn’t really been listening.

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Not much beyond congratulations though. You really – I now it’s temporary but you really did earn this. You saved the city.” They were both quiet for a minute before she smiled and looked up at his profile. “Not as Oliver Queen, not as the Green Arrow … neither of them could have done what you did alone.”

“I had help,” Oliver told her, his hands sweeping his jacket aside so he could push them into his pockets. “The whole city …”

“That’s right. But that speech … on top of the taxi, by the way, which was kind of ho – uh. Anyway. That speech. It was Green Arrow talking through Oliver Queen. I think … Oliver, I think you’ve finally found the balance. Does it – does it feel like that?” she questioned curiously.

“Yeah,” he answered. It wasn’t immediate but there wasn’t a long pause and Felicity felt her heart speed up at the simple honesty.

 _Honesty_.

In an unspoken agreement, they both walked away from the wall of suits and headed back towards her computers. They were silent for a minute before she sat down and let out a breath. “They deserve privacy,” she told him quietly before her fingers skimmed over the keyboard, deactivating the trackers she had on John and Thea. She was sure they would have left them behind anyway but she wanted her team back when they were ready and to do that, they needed their space, needed to know that they weren’t being followed wherever they went.

“Yeah,” he agreed, though she could hear the slight catch in his voice. “They’ll come back.”

She nodded, her mouth staying shut because she knew she had less control over her voice than Oliver did over his. It was hard, being here without someone else. She couldn’t really think of a time when it was only them in the foundry or one of their other operation centers and it made her nervous. Not because he scared her or anything but because she wasn’t the backup John was.

Then again, being the Mayor might force him to hang up the suit. There was no way he’d be able to ditch his security detail, put on green leather and shoot at the bad guys.

On the other hand, Star City had banded together to stop Darhk so maybe things would be slow for a little while. Unlikely, but a girl could dream.

They were quiet again for a long beat but it was slightly less awkward. They were friends before he put his mother’s ring on her finger, before he asked her to run away with him, and they could be friends again. And there was something that _this_ friend had to do for _that_ friend before they worried about anything else.

“You need to move back into the loft,” she told him as she stood, running her hands over her stomach before clasping them in front of her again. He lifted a brow and got the most _hopeful_ look in his eyes that she almost didn’t want to continue. “Alone.”

“Felicity.”

“No, hear me out. This isn’t – it’s the smart move. You’re Mayor and you certainly can’t live down here. You shouldn’t live in Thea and Laurel’s place because it’ll bring up a lot of questions about you and Laurel and where Thea is and you really don’t need a scandal while you’re Interim Mayor or whatever. Same for why you shouldn’t live with Lyla and Sara. Too many questions.” She took a deep breath. “I can stay in Thea’s place. Or with Curtis and Paul. Or with Lyla and Sara and John, if he stays in town,” she added. “But you need – you need to have your own place.”

“We could –“

“We can’t,” she cut him off, not allowing him to go where she had a feeling he was going. “I know it has two rooms and all but … the Mayor can’t live with his ex-fiancée. It’s just not something that can happen. Not until …”

Felicity trailed off and looked up to meet his eyes and this time, she didn’t have it in her to extinguish the hope she saw there. “Not until,” she repeated. It was an opening, one that _could_ lead to a someday, and she thought it was important to leave it open for the both of them.

Oliver blew out a breath, not moving for a moment before he nodded minutely. “Okay. But if you need it back …”

“It was never mine in the first place,” she corrected him. “But thank you for the offer. There may be a time or two you find me crashing on your couch. If you give me a key, I mean. Not that you have to or you should. Just if you do.”

“I’m not going to change the locks,” he promised with a grin. “And I’ll make sure my security detail knows you have a free pass.”

“I have a feeling I’ll be joining you in some of your headlines if that happens,” she told him with a slight frown. He opened his mouth to say something but she shook her head, effectively cutting him off. “I’m not going to let that stop me from spending time with my friend. What little time I may actually have.”

Oliver snorted then and she turned from where she had started running searches for Malcolm Merlyn because she _needed_ to know where he went. “What?”

“I mean, what are you going to be spending all of your time on? It’s not like …”

“Do _not_ finish that sentence,” she warned, straightening up and looking him in the eyes. “Don’t. I might be employment challenged _for the moment_ but I’m going to get my company back. After all this, I’m sure all I’ll have to do is mention that it was me and Curtis who diverted the nukes and _bam_ , CEO Smoak is back in business.”

He smiled at her in _that way_ and she couldn’t stop the slight blush from forming on her cheeks. “I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll convince them to reinstate you. But there’s something else you should get them to do at the same time.”

“What’s that?” she asked with interest. She bent back over her keyboard and typed in a few more commands, frowning when she didn’t get immediate results. When he didn’t answer, she sighed and turned back to him again. “Oliver?”

“I think it’s time the name on the building changed. Again.”

Her brows furrowed together, she shook her head. “To what, exactly? It would look really suspicious and wouldn’t make any sense at all if I changed it back to QC. I mean, I love that company, it’s where you and I … it’s … I have some really good memories there. Really _bad_ ones too but some really good ones. But I’m not a Queen.”

“No, you’re not,” he said and if it sounded a little sad, that was because she knew it was. She could have – _should_ have – been a Queen by now. But her ring finger was bare and her last name was still the same as her mother’s. “But you’re not a Palmer either.”

Felicity stared at him a minute before taking a step forward. “You can’t be serious.”

Instead of answering her, he just gave her an infuriatingly benign grin and shrug before turning to survey the damage. “So, what do you think? Take tonight off and come back to work on restoring this place tomorrow?”

“I can do that,” she agreed as she sat at her desk, not finishing preparing all of the programs she wanted to use to search for Merlyn. “I mean, I’m not going to set an alarm or anything but I’ll be able to get over here.”

“What time?” he asked curiously. “So I know when to meet you.”

“How about a quarter to you’re-the-mayor-now-and-can’t-help o’clock?” she shot back, not bothering to look at him. “You actually have day job for the firs time in a long time. I put this place – well, _a place_ – back together without you once before, I can do it again.”

“You had Digg then,” Oliver reminded her. “How are you going to …?”

“Curtis is strong. I’ll enlist him to help. I promise, we’re going to get it back together and you can concentrate on earning a paycheck.” Satisfied with her programs, she stood and stretched her back. “Now, I think it’s time for a little sushi, some wine and some _Doctor Who._ Care to join me?” she asked, her eyes moving to his.

“I’d like that,” he said with a smile just as her phone went off. She picked it up and frowned, not believing what she was seeing. “What is it?”

“John’s gone,” Felicity said as she lifted her eyes to Oliver’s. “That’s – Lyla just texted me. He re-enlisted. He’s … he left.”

Oliver stood there for a long minute, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Feeling safe, Felicity shut her eyes too, sending up a prayer that wherever the enlistment took him, John would come home safely and in one piece.

A hand on her elbow made her gasp as her eyes flew open to see Oliver right in front of her. He apologized quietly and she nodded that it was okay as her breathing slowed. “What do you say we order some extra and head over there?” he asked softly.

“I’d say that’s a great idea,” she agreed in the same tone. “She’s going to need her friends.”

They stayed there for another beat before Oliver held his hand out in the direction of the elevator and Felicity nodded, stepping past him. It didn’t shock her when his hand landed on the small of her back but it _did_ shock her when she didn’t correct him for it. Today, the line that she’d drawn between them just didn’t seem important. They could figure that out later.


	8. Pro Aris et Focis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diggle-centric. Not really a spec piece because I'm pretty sure there's no chance of this happening. Spoilers for all of Arrow through 4x23.

John Diggle was a soldier. It was the truth whether he was in a uniform, in a disguise or in street clothes. He went through every day with as much planning and precision as possible.

When he got out of the Army the first time, he hadn’t planned for everything that could go wrong. He hadn’t planned on learning that his marriage was best when he and Lyla were fighting with their backs pressed together and their weapons at the ready. He should have known that things weren’t the way they should be when they spent more time trying to find a moment to be together than a moment to talk and share their love.

He’d been prepared for the divorce papers, though. They hadn’t been a surprise at all. He was grateful for both the predictability and the action itself.

When Andy got him a job babysitting rich kids, he hadn’t really been prepared for how much work it was. He hated every minute of it but he was a divorced ex-soldier living in a shitty apartment. He wanted to be back in the field. Back in country. Away from the place his ex-wife could easily show up. He’d gone on a third tour to find his normal again but he’d foregone a fourth to find a new normal.

And he hated it.

Getting hired by Moira Queen was both the best and the worst thing that ever happened to him. Oliver was a brash, stubborn, pig-headed moron who was luckier than sin that he came home alive every night.

Most nights, at least.

But Oliver gave him purpose, made him comfortable, turned him into a different kind of soldier. He wasn’t sure he’d ever told his brother in arms exactly how grateful he was for that.

Adding Felicity to the team was stupid, so stupid, but also the first sane decision Oliver made for his crusade. She didn’t take his garbage and she was smart as a whip. He loved her for who she was and who she helped him to be. Kind and compassionate, Felicity Smoak came into his life when he needed her the most and she never abandoned him. Not even when he acted like a jackass or yelled at her or treated her as less than she was. Not when he went behind her back with Oliver. Never.

Felicity was better than all of them and it wasn’t a surprise at all.

Getting back with Lyla was the most natural thing in the world. He never denied loving her; he just hadn’t had the capability to do it properly when they were married. Their liaisons turned into so much more for him and when Waller told him that Lyla was pregnant, his whole word snapped into focus.

Father. Boyfriend. Vigilante. Maybe in that order, maybe not. God, country, family. Name, rank, serial number. He felt more human than he ever had while simultaneously allowing his years of training take over in his mind, setting plans for being a father, for getting Lyla to be his again, for keeping up his night job while doing the first two.

And he was able to do it for the longest time. Husband now, father, friend, outlaw.

Brother.

Finding out Andy was alive gutted him. He thought he’d gotten his brother back and really he’d gotten played. It’d almost cost him his life, Lyla’s life, Sara’s life. Oliver’s friendship.

They lost Laurel because he put his scheming, evil brother ahead of the truest, most loyal family he’d ever had. He knew he would never forgive himself for her death, no matter what Oliver, Felicity or Lyla said. If he could have traded Andy’s life for Laurel’s he would have any day of the week, twice on Sunday.

That didn’t mean killing his brother had been easy.

His whole world came crashing down around him when nukes were launched. He thought he was going to die before he could expand his family, before Oliver realized his true potential, before Felicity took over the world. Before Laurel’s death could be avenged.

After it was over, after Oliver embraced his darkness to save the world, after he watched Lance and Thea walk away, after he held Felicity’s hand and watched her leave, he knew he had to go too. He was fractured, splintered, shattered into a million pieces and there was only one way he knew to get himself back on track.

When he left the Army, he didn’t intend to go back. He put that life behind him and moved on. But when push came to shove, John Diggle was a soldier. In uniform, he knew who he was, knew what to do, knew how to act. He could give and take commands, could put the good of his unit over his own wants and needs. In a uniform, he was himself.

Not everyone in the Army was like him, though. Not everyone had his training, his skill set, his loyalty.

Not everyone knew that the large men swaying drunkenly a block away were the enemy.

Not everyone survived the ambush.

Not everyone woke up in a damp warehouse, weapons gone, beaten, disoriented and freezing.

Not everyone would recognize the tattoo one of the men had peaking out from under his shirt collar.

“Read!” The voice was deep, smoky, definitely Russian.

When he didn’t comply, he got a kick to his ribs and a repeat of the command.

Squinting, he looked into the bright light of a video camera. To the right were cards with words hastily written on them. With a groan, he pushed himself up to a kneeling position. When he still didn’t speak, he felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against the base of his neck. “Read or I will make sure they all see you die.”

His eyes scanned the words and he shut them briefly, trying to get the nerve to let these men, these mobsters, kill him.

“I will make sure your daughter watches your head fall from your neck.”

“Okay,” he ground out. “Okay. I’ll read it.” He took a fortifying breath before his eyes landed on the camera lens. “My name is Master Sergeant John Diggle and I am being held captive in Russia. This is a message for the Green Arrow.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “It is time to come home, капитан. Your family needs you. You have forty eight hours before my death is the first of many you will cause with your disloyalty.”

The light went out and John turned to say something to his captors but a fist with a metal pipe in it swung forward and connected with his head, sending him back into the darkness he awoke from moments before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> капитан = kapitan = captain, though I'm sure all of the Bratva!Oliver fans out there already know that. :)


	9. Helpless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling for Tommy Merlyn was a lot easier than she’d like to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felicity/Tommy with mentions of Tommy/Laurel

Falling in love with Tommy Merlyn was a lot easier than she’d like to admit. He was funny and charming and while he was a bit of a player, he also made her feel special.

It started when she was an intern at Kord Industries and he attended a mutual gala as her. It was a perk of being at the top of her internship group, they’d said. After meeting Tommy, it was easy to admit that she’d had a wonderful time and it was probably the best perk offered. They’d chatted and flirted and she’d almost given him her number but he’d been whisked away before she’d had the chance. At the time, she thought it was probably for the best. She was nineteen and leaving to go back to Boston for her graduate program and he was twenty-three and looking for his next big party venue.

They weren’t really compatible.

When they met again, it was at a benefit that Walter Steele and Moira Queen were hosting. It was about Tommy’s best friend and Moira’s son, Oliver, lost at sea. She was new and didn’t know much of the story but the attendees were kind of somber, which she figured was at least marginally appropriate, so she mostly kept to herself and the few people she’d met since moving to Starling permanently and taking the position in the IT Department at Queen Consolidated.

He came up behind her with a flute of champagne and a dirty promise that had her stomach clenching. She turned to meet his eyes and he looked absolutely terrified. He sputtered out an apology, berating himself while telling her he thought she’d been someone else. She couldn’t stop the nervous and somewhat manic laugh that had escaped, swearing she wouldn’t hold it against him. And then she’d had an epic bout of word vomit in which she told him that the woman he had been trying to seduce was a lucky girl and if it were her, she’d very much enjoy what he’d described.

And she did that night. More than once.

Tommy had a reputation for one night stands and while she wanted to see if their compatibility extended beyond the bedroom, she hadn’t had any expectations. She’d left in the morning with an English Muffin and a kiss on the cheek, not expecting to hear from him again. By the time she got to work, though, a beautiful flower arrangement had been delivered and the card was probably the sweetest she’d ever received.

They didn’t get together while they explored the physical side of their relationship but Felicity desperately wanted to. She didn’t feel cheap or used and she wasn’t exactly mad that they kept things between the sheets but part of her longed to go on a date, to see a movie, to eat at a restaurant. She didn’t want to show Tommy off or be shown off by him but it was slightly discouraging to be his girl only in the dark.

It was more discouraging when he started publicly dating Laurel Lance and stopped calling her.

Her mother told her that he just wasn’t the right one for her and then gave her some “tips” on how to catch a good man. Felicity ignored them all, vowing to herself that she wasn’t hurt and didn’t care that Tommy had found someone else that he wanted to be with. They were all over Page Six, smiling and happy, and Felicity wanted that, wanted it with Tommy – minus the publicity because she was _so_ not an exhibitionist on any level – but it just wasn’t in the cards. She went on dates with other men and smiled and enjoyed herself but not a single one of them made her feel the way Tommy did the first night they met. There was no hope rising up in her with any of the men she dated.

It made her irrationally angry at Tommy; she swore she would never tell him who sent the _It’s a Small World_ song to all of his satellite and wifi devices.

When Laurel and Tommy split, she half-hoped, half-dreaded the idea of him calling her. It was ridiculous because he’d been with _Laurel Lance_ and anyone less than that woman would be a downgrade. Laurel was smart and beautiful and a lawyer and while Felicity was a genius, she was also an IT grunt because she wanted to be at QC and not Wayne Enterprises.

Stupid, stupid sense of adventure.

Tommy didn’t call right away. In fact, he was spotted out with a few other women and Felicity believed he’d probably forgotten all about her and what they had. She knew she was a silly girl, falling for a boy who enjoyed the sex but didn’t want any other part of her. It didn’t stop her heart from hurting but it did stop her from doing something stupid like confronting him and asking him what those other women had that she didn’t.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure she really wanted an answer to that question anyway.

When Tommy showed up on her doorstep nine weeks – give or take because she definitely _wasn’t_ counting – after his break-up with Laurel, Felicity had no idea what to expect. They hadn’t really been friends with benefits when they were together; they were actually pretty set on the benefits only track. But he showed up with flowers and wine and they sat on her couch and talked for the first time since they met.

He left at four in the morning without kissing her and without asking for anything more than conversation. It confused her but it also made her happy because even if he didn’t want to be with her, he wanted _something_ with her and at the time, that was enough.

It took her a little less than three weeks to realize that they were spending a lot of time together without having sex, without kissing, without doing anything but talking and spending time together. He would bring her flowers or coffee and they would talk for hours on end. And after a particularly nice evening where they were at his apartment and he’d ordered in Italian and had her favorite wine, she realized he was _wooing_ her.

For a genius, she could be pretty dumb sometimes.

That was the last night their relationship was platonic. And the following morning was the last time it was private.

Felicity had never really been in the wrong place at the wrong time but leaving Tommy’s building that morning was the exception. One of his little fan girls or groupies or whatever he called them had been taking her morning jog past his building and caught them kissing beside the cab that was going to take her home. It was on the internet about thirty seconds later.

Her mom was thrilled that she nabbed a boyfriend but pissed that she had to read about it on Twitter. (She then disabled her mother’s Twitter so that she couldn’t spread rumors or share stories.)

That night, they were eating dinner at a little bistro when it felt like all the air was sucked out of the room. There were cries of _oh my god_ and _no way_ and it had both her and Tommy jumping from their seats and heading towards the television in the corner of the dining area.

Tommy talked about Oliver a lot in the three weeks leading up to their official relationship. He told stories and talked about how much he missed his best friend and how he’d been looking after Oliver’s sister for him. She felt like if she met Oliver, she would know everything about him. He was dead, she knew, but Tommy made it seem like he was just on vacation and that when he came back, they would all be friends.

Felicity knew it would never happen, though. Oliver Queen died in a boat accident five years ago. It was fact. It was an unmovable truth.

Until Channel 7’s anchor and the headline bar at the bottom of the screen told the world that the thing that had been a fact, a truth, only moments before was nothing but a big lie.

_BREAKING NEWS: LOST BILLIONAIRE FOUND_

“Holy shit,” Tommy breathed, his hand reaching out to grab hers. “Ollie’s …”

“Alive,” she finished, her own voice breathless. She had never really believed in the impossible until that very moment. But after five years in the North China Sea, Oliver Queen was alive. If that wasn’t impossible, she didn’t know what was.


	10. I Knew the First Time We Met (You'd be Kinda Hard to Forget)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’d been trying to get Felicity and Oliver to meet for ages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyla/Diggle & Oliver/Felicity.

“Just _come with me_ ,” Lyla groaned as she flopped back onto Felicity’s bed. Her friend was in the closet, sorting through her outfits to find something to wear the next day to go visit her mother. “It’s one night. And you’re going back to Vegas tomorrow, leaving me here _all alone_ …”

“God you’re dramatic,” Felicity laughed as she pulled out a dress and held it up to her front, tilting her head as she admired herself before shaking her head and hanging it back up. “Why do you want me to go hang out with you and John? You know that means if you start making out with him, I’m totally going to make faces or noises. And then John’s going to glare at me. And then …”

“ _I’m_ dramatic?”

“Yes,” Felicity decides, her done definitive and her nod sure. “Yes, you’re dramatic. Because you won’t be alone. You’ll be with your very handsome boyfriend. Who hates the term _boyfriend_. Which is why I call him _Boyfriend John_ when we’re in the same place.”

Lyla chuckled and stood, moving over to the closet and pulling out another dress. “For tonight,” she tells her, pushing it against her chest. “For when you come out with me and John and Oliver.” The last two words are mumbled into her shoulder because she didn’t want Felicity to hear her trying to set her up with John’s best friend.

Again.

“Why do I need to wear a dress to go out with you and John?” Felicity asked absently and Lyla let out a breath. It wasn’t easy to get one over on her best friend but it looked like she had done so this time.

She’d been trying to get Felicity and Oliver to meet for ages. He and John knew each other from the Army and Lyla thought he was a good guy. Good enough for Felicity, and that was saying something. Felicity had been hurt badly in the past and Oliver had some trouble with PTSD but Lyla was sure they would be able to find a common ground.

“Go get dressed,” Lyla dodged. “You’re going home for, like, a million years tomorrow and you need to look hot out with me and my guy the night before you ride off into the dessert.” Felicity arched a brow. “I’m dressing up too.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Felicity accused but she took the dress and marched over to her bed anyway. “What are you wearing? And why aren’t you wearing it now?”

Lyla grabbed Felicity by the shoulders and pushed her towards the bathroom. “Because we’re stopping by my place on the way to meet Johnny,” she informed her friend with a hidden eye roll. “Now shower and I’ll call Johnny and let him know.”

Once she was sure Felicity was in the shower, she pulled out her phone and texted her boyfriend. It was short and sweet and she knew he was rolling his eyes at her but she was determined to get Felicity and Oliver to at least meet. If things didn’t go well, at least she tried. But Oliver was a good guy and Felicity was her best friend and she didn’t think it was wrong to want them both to be happy. And if she could facilitate a meeting that could lead them to be happy together then she was glad to try.

Johnny texted that she was a meddler and she knew that so she just told him she loved him and that they would see him and Oliver in a couple of hours.

Once Felicity was out of the shower, dressed and made up, the two women made their way back to Lyla’s apartment. Felicity spent the whole time asking why she had to wear a dress if they were just going to their usual bar and Lyla spent the whole time changing the subject. Really, she was a terrible liar. She was sure Felicity knew that something was up but she blessedly hadn’t asked straight out. If she had, Lyla would have tried to lie and the whole thing would have blown up in her face. This was supposed to be a surprise blind date and it couldn’t be that if Felicity figured it out. Which was mainly the reason why Lyla brought her phone into the bathroom with her when she took a shower.

Once she was done and they were both ready, they headed out. Felicity turned narrowed eyes on her when she passed The Flying Pig and instead continued down towards the center of town. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“We passed the bar. Back there. Drove right past it.”

“To be fair, I never said we were going to the bar.”

“Lyla!” Felicity shouted and she couldn’t help but wince. Her friend’s Loud Voice could rival a megaphone at times. “Why are we all dressed up?”

“Because we’re going out,” she answered. “Some people get dressed up when they’re going out.”

“Not when they’re going out with their best friend and her boyfriend they don’t,” Felicity countered. “Why are we pulling in here?”

_Here_ was a relatively nice restaurant. It wasn’t one that was too hard to get a reservation at but it was definitely one that warranted nice dresses for dinner. “Because this is where we’re going out to,” Lyla replied loftily, pulling up to the front door so the valet could take care of the car. She ignored Felicity’s look as the blonde climbed from the car and waited for her at the base of the steps. “Can you at least pretend like you don’t want to kill me right now?” she asked tiredly. “I mean, it’s just dinner.”

Felicity studied her and Lyla was pretty sure she was busted. “What’s his name?” Definitely busted. “Lyla, what’s his name?”

Instead of answering, she liked her arm through Felicity’s and headed inside. John and Oliver were supposed to meet them at the bar before their reservations. She thought that would help to break the ice.

Walking in, she spotted her boyfriend immediately. She smiled widely and dropped Felicity’s arm, moving to John and moving her hands to his cheeks to pull him down for a kiss.

“This is a terrible idea,” John mentioned softly. It had to be the tenth time he’d said it since the idea formed. He wasn’t any closer to convincing her now than he was the first time.

“Shut up,” she murmured, kissing his lips once more before pulling back. She turned to smile at Felicity, who had pink cheeks and a shy smile on her lips. _Jackpot_. “Felicity Smoak,” she started.

“Hi,” Oliver said, interrupting her, his hand extended towards Felicity. “I’m Oliver Queen.”

Felicity, blush a shade darker, took his hand. “I’m Felicity. Smoak. With an o-a, not a k-e.”

“Nice to meet you, Felicity Smoak with an o-a,” Oliver grinned, not releasing her hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Oliver Queen.”

They stood there, smiling and still holding hands and Lyla couldn’t help but turn a smug, _I told you so_ look on her boyfriend. She loved being right.

 


	11. I Get by With a Little Help from My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, you’re going to start sprouting mushrooms if you stay in the dark for too long,” a voice said from over her shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of Laurel/Tommy and Felicity/Cooper

Felicity Smoak had always wanted to change the world. When she was in college – two years early and still smarter than at least a quarter of her classmates – she went about it the wrong way. She built a virus and her boyfriend, just as determined to change the world as she was, implemented it in a way that drew a lot of attention. Too much. Cooper was arrested and he didn’t give her up, just made her promise to go straight.

She told him she loved him, graduated early and left for Starling City on the first flight she could get. Every month she wrote him a letter until he asked her to stop, that he couldn’t take her forced hopefulness anymore.

He was murdered in a fight a week later.

Felicity floated through a couple of tech companies in Starling until a police officer with a stern look and a fatherly voice asked her why she was wasting her time. Someone from Kord had called the cops stating they were being hacked. Felicity had stopped the invasion before the criminal got any information and Officer Lance saw too much potential in her to let her stay there.

If only he knew what she’d been doing a few months before.

He set her up with an interview in the cyber security department and she took the job, laughing at herself her first day. Dark hair, dark lipstick … she reminded herself of the scientist on NCIS, just without the pigtails and dog collars.

Oddly enough, she fit in. She was the smartest in the room and for the first time, it didn’t threaten her co-workers. They appreciated her efforts, understood that she didn’t mean to show them up when she got to a solution faster. It made her feel like she was part of a team that could really do something to help people. For the first time since she left Boston, she felt like she was truly honoring Cooper and doing what he wanted her to do.

When Officer Lance was promoted to Detective, it seemed like he used her skills exclusively. He’d become something of a father figure to her over the years and she was thankful for it. He looked after her like she was one of his daughters. It hurt, sometimes, because once in a while he would call her _Sara_ and then withdraw, but most of the time things were good between the two of them. Things between Felicity and Lance’s daughter Laurel, however, were not.

Laurel had been dating Oliver Queen until he took off on a yacht with his father and Sara Lance and never came back. She was dark and bitter and cold and Felicity couldn’t really blame her but it had been four years. Felicity knew what holding onto pain for too long could do to someone. Unfortunately, Laurel didn’t want to hear it.

Things started looking up when Laurel started dating Oliver’s best friend. She didn’t know him and from what Quentin said, she really didn’t want to. He was a partier, she’d been told, who went through women like he went through bottles of Skyy Vodka.

Honestly, Felicity didn’t care. She loved her job and was finally moving on from Cooper. Neither Laurel nor Tommy meant anything to her. Until.

“You know, you’re going to start sprouting mushrooms if you stay in the dark for too long,” a voice said from over her shoulders. It was teasing, as if it should be familiar to her. It was, of course, but only because she’d heard it nearly every Sunday for lunch for the last seven or so weeks.

“You know, that might be fun … guy.” She froze and then let out a long breath. “Terrible joke, Smoak. Just terrible.”

Tommy laughed, though, and walked further into the room. He sat in the swivel chair next to hers and promptly began spinning around. “I bet my dad would flip if he caught me doing this at his company.”

“I bet Lance would flip if he caught you in here bothering me when I was trying to work,” she returned, a smile on her lips. “And speaking of, what brings you here?”

“Can’t I just drop by and see my girlfriend’s … sort of almost but not really sister?” Tommy asked with a look she assumed he thought was innocent but really, really wasn’t.

The whole thing took her by surprise because Tommy wasn’t the guy who came to her for favors. Sure, he would throw out random scenarios at lunch and goad her into answering them in as much details as she could muster. His voice was teasing but when she looked at him – after he stopped spinning in circles – she saw the seriousness in his eyes.

“What’s going on?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter in her chair. “Is everything okay?”

Tommy sat up too, shifting in a way that told Felicity he was uncomfortable. The look on his face was one of hesitance and she thought he also looked like he was steeling himself for a rejection. “I’m not sure,” he started, his voice slow and measured. “It’s … it’s probably stupid.”

If it was any other time, Felicity might have agreed that whatever Tommy was going to say was going to be stupid. Something about this moment, about the tone of his voice and the look on his face, told her that it was actually going to be anything but. He was serious and nervous and she wanted to take that look away from him. She wanted to get the haunted look out of his expressive eyes. They may not have been close but she wasn’t about to push him away and make him deal with whatever he needed on his own.

“I’m sure it’s not,” she responded truthfully. “Just … lay it on me and we’ll see what’s stupid and what’s not stupid.”

Tommy hesitated and that more than anything made her realize whatever it was he wanted from her was important to him. The look in his eyes told her that she was his last resort. Rather than being offended, she decided she would be the one who didn’t let him down. Laurel loved him, Lance was getting used to him, he looked after his dead best friend’s little sister, and despite his reputation, he wasn’t really as bad as she’d originally thought. The least she could do was help him solve his problem.

“Okay,” he breathed. “Okay. I – well …” He trailed off, his eyes going unfocused and she didn’t know if he was trying to find the right words or what but it was throwing her off balance. Her leg started jumping and she let out a frustrated breath before calling his name. “I’m pretty sure Ollie’s alive and in Russia.”

Felicity’s mouth dropped open as her whole body went still. “Ex-excuse me?” she asked, her voice shaky. “Ollie? As in …”

“Oliver, yes,” Tommy replied, his voice a little stronger.

“Wh-what – why? Why do you think that?”

Tommy went into some long, elaborate story of his car breaking down in a shitty area of town and the guys running the shop speaking in Russian and talking about a new American training in Russia. She didn’t know why Tommy thought it was Oliver Queen so she asked and he shrugged. “Their English was broken and they only used it half the time but I just … got a feeling.”

“What would Oliver be training for in Russia?” she asked, her brows furrowed. When Tommy’s shoulder’s slumped and he looked like he was shutting down, she quickly reassured him, “I’m not saying I won’t look into it. I just … I need to know where I should start looking.”

Tommy sighed and ran his hand over his face. “I have no idea. I guess start with …” But he had no answer for her. His face fell and she knew she had to do something to try to get rid of that look.

“Immigration records,” she finished for him after a few long beats. “I should start with immigration records.”

Tommy stared at her for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. He closed it right away and finally said, “You’re really going to do this?”

Felicity took a moment to consider her answer before nodding. “Yeah. I don’t think either of us would be able to get any real rest if I didn’t. So … I get off and three hours. Meet me at my place and we’ll start searching.”

Tommy let out a laugh, a bright smile crossing his face. “See you then, Bandit. Or would you be Smokey?”

“Get out of my office,” she laughed, shooing him away.

His laughter followed him out and it took her a moment to be able to focus back on what she was doing. Three hours before the real adventure began. Hopefully she’d be able to give her full attention to her real work before she got to her new extracurricular project.

 


	12. Back in the USSR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> East docks. Three AM. Come alone or you will know true pain, Kapitan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So two days ago, I was lamenting over how truly terrible the New York Mets are with the exceptionally talented dettiot and when I mentioned I wanted to write but couldn't, she put Bratva!Oliver out there. This wasn't what I intended to write but it kind of flowed out. So ... here it is. Mentions of Oliver/Felicity.

_East docks. Three AM. Come alone or you will know true pain, Kapitan._

The white sheaf of paper was held to his former campaign office door by a small dagger and Oliver ripped it down as soon as his mind processed the last word. It was late, or early depending on how someone thought of two in the morning, and the only person who could have been in the office tonight would have been someone from the team.

The team that currently consisted of him and Felicity.

Fear settled sharp and heavy in his stomach as he ran towards the elevator, pressing the button at least fifteen times in rapid succession. He knew he should just call Felicity but if this was what it looked like, she wouldn’t answer anyway. At least now he was on his way down to the bunker and could grab his gear and get out quickly if he needed to.

Except the Bratva didn’t want the Green Arrow. He was certain no one in the organization had made him and if that was the case, he would have to go to the docks as himself, as Mayor Queen.

As he rode down in the elevator, he had to take a second to appreciate the fact that it had taken so long for someone to do this. Since the appointment was only interim, he’d reopened his old headquarters. It gave him an excuse to be there all day while Felicity worked on rebuilding the bunker downstairs. He slipped away sometimes too, but mostly worked on it at night when there was no one upstairs to question the noises from below.

When the doors opened, he instantly called out to Felicity. He knew she had planned to come over and work on her server room after a long day of investor meetings, but she could have been long gone by now. When she didn’t reply, his heart leapt into his throat. _She’s home_ , he told himself. _She’s at the apartment and safe._

His hand shook as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his slacks. He knew if he unlocked his phone and pressed her contact, he would be forced to face a reality he didn’t want to. The fear that had coursed through his veins now settled, heavy and hot, in his stomach. Closing his eyes, he pressed the screen and held the phone to his ear. It only rang once before her voice came over the line, instructing him to leave a voicemail.

Felicity never turned her phone off. Ever.

He knew, right in that second, they had her. For all the time they’d been together and all the time he spent loving her while she tried to love someone else, she’d never been targeted without them trying to make it so she was. Mathis, Slade … sure, there was the Count, who definitely snuck up on her but she’d walked into that trap without him knowing and had gotten caught.

And the Count had paid for that. Dearly. It was one kill that never haunted Oliver, not once. The others pushed at the edge of his nightmares but ending the life of Count Vertigo had been the easiest decision he never had to make.

However many bodies he had to drop to get Felicity back, he wouldn’t regret them either.

They’d fallen into a comfortable place, he and Felicity had. She’d come to him when Lyla told her John had left and he went to her when he found out Thea was leaving to travel the world and find herself. Felicity lived in Thea and Laurel’s apartment since he took back the loft. They spent time together rebuilding a trust he should never have broken.

He and Felicity weren’t together and though he loved her, he knew that was best for now. He was the Interim Mayor and running to make the seat more permanent while she was trying to find investors to fund the formation of her own company. Palmer Tech was being controlled by the Board and no amount of explanation had proven to be enough for her to get her company back. It had broken her heart in a way he hadn’t and left her sad and angry. They’d split a bottle of wine and when she drained the last of her glass, she’d apologized to him for losing his company.

Neither mentioned that it was really Ray’s and if he ever came back to Star City they’d have to explain what happened.

Those thoughts were for another time, though. They were for a safer time when Felicity was by his side and not being held hostage by men who were supposed to be loyal to him. He was a member of the goddamn Brotherhood and despite his prolonged absence, he wasn’t about to let some low-level lackeys kidnap the woman he loved.

Or at least he wasn’t going to let them hold her for longer than necessary.

He had half a mind to call Anatoly and find out what the hell was going on. But to do so would be to directly confirm that he hadn’t been as active in the Brotherhood as he should have been, which could possibly lead to Anatoly stripping his title and ordering both him and Felicity killed. So no, he wasn’t going to be calling. Not now, not until he took back control of his men.

He wondered if that made him the worst Mayor of Starling or Star City even. A mobster mayor; that sounded like Gotham to him and he wasn’t about to allow any kind of parallel between him and that winged moron who barely passed his computer courses at Excelsior. Not that Oliver himself was much better but there was a line and he wasn’t about to cross it.

Gathering some supplies, he made his way out of the bunker and back to the street. He didn’t have much time to get to the docks but he wasn’t geared up so he couldn’t exactly hop on his bike and tear through traffic like a lunatic. Like when he was chasing the Dodger because the man put a fucking _bomb_ around Felicity’s neck.

Jumping on his bike anyway, he pulled on his helmet and peeled away, pushing the bike to its limits. He’d done this for her _before_ he fell in love with her; there was no way in hell he was going to do anything less now. As the seconds ticked by, he really wished he could do _more_.

When he reached the docks, the area looked abandoned and he experienced a flash of fear, wondering if he’d gotten there too late. But the men of the Bratva were true to the word and wouldn’t leave before he’d been given the chance to arrive.

Rounding one of the abandoned warehouses, he saw six figures, dark and shadowy, beneath a flickering street light. He could easily distinguish which was Felicity, small and thin as opposed to being built similar to Brickman. There was one man standing mostly behind her and he knew that was the one who was holding her, making sure she didn’t run or try to escape. One hand was likely and her bound hands, the other on a gun.

“I’m here,” he called from about fifty yards out. “Let her go.”

He knew it wouldn’t be as easy as that. He knew that they likely wouldn’t let Felicity go without a fight, but that didn’t matter. He would fight them all and win because there was no way he was going to let something happen to her, not if he could do something about it. And, damnit, he was Oliver Queen, Mayor of Star City, the Green Arrow and a Bratva Captain. He sure as hell _could_ do something about it. “Now.”


	13. Lady Parts and the Functions Thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was a busy woman and sometimes she let things fall through the cracks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oliver/Felicity.

It was a Tuesday when she first suspected it. They’d been busy looking for then settling on the house and she hadn’t really been paying attention to what her body was telling her. She got up, enjoyed her mornings with her boyfriend, showered, did some work around the house, enjoyed lunch with her boyfriend, enjoyed some after lunch activities with her boyfriend, had video conferences about her new position as Owner and CEO of Palmer Tech, enjoyed some more time with her boyfriend, had dinner … it was basically food, sex, housework and real work from eight hundred plus miles away.

She was a busy woman and sometimes she let things fall through the cracks.

Like, for example, her period.

It took a worrisome length of time for her to realize that she hadn’t bought tampons in quite a while. It took about fifteen minutes longer to realize Oliver hadn’t mentioned that she should be the one to take out the trash in the bathroom. For a man who had survived five years of hell, he sure was squeamish about a little non-wound-inflicted blood.

Pulling her lips into her mouth, she grabbed her tablet and scanned through her apps, opening the one that was supposed to keep her up to date about her monthly visitor.

And it wasn’t there. She suspected her boyfriend but there was no way to find out without sounding both terrified and accusatory. Especially since she downloaded the app again, logged in, and saw the dates she was supposed to have a rather unwanted visitor.

Dates she’d decidedly _not_ had said visitor.

“Holy shit,” she whispered to herself, resting against the cabinet before sliding down to sit on the floor. “Holy _shit_.”

Oliver was at the store and she considered sneaking out and running to the pharmacy to pick up some tests on her own but she probably shouldn’t. This wasn’t something she thought she could do alone and it certainly wasn’t something she wanted to exclude Oliver from.

When he got home, she was silent as she helped him put the groceries away. Her mind was spinning as she tried to figure out a way to tell him she needed to go to Walgreens and grab a few pregnancy tests because – _surprise!_ – she was pretty sure she had a bun in the oven. He typically liked bluntness but she thought maybe that wasn’t the best way to go with this.

“Felicity?” he called, pulling her from her thoughts. “Something on your mind?”

She squinted at him, eyes narrowed as she tried to determine if there was any possible way for him to suspect the same thing she had. Oliver was a very observant man and sometimes he let himself follow the loose thread that he found. His face was open and curious and she decided he didn’t know. “Yes,” she answered but didn’t elaborate.

She knew it was frustrating to him but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words, not yet. She was nervous and she felt her stomach flip in that I-think-I-might-puke way and she really just wanted to take Oliver’s hand and pull him into the bedroom and forget that she had a video conference in an hour.

Speaking of. “I need to text Gerry,” she said quietly, grabbing her phone. “And then we need to … there’s something I need to tell you.”

He looked nervous – she couldn’t blame him for that – but nodded in acceptance, moving to sit at the kitchen table to wait for her. Felicity sent off the quick text to Gerry, asking him to please apologize to the Board but something came up and she didn’t think she would be able to make the conference. She also said she would be back in touch later but he wouldn’t be able to reach her for a while.

Leaving her phone on the island, Felicity made her way over to the table. Biting her lip, she considered where she wanted to sit when she told him. Deciding his touch would bolster her confidence, she slid onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“What’s up, honey?” Oliver asked her in a soft tone. She could tell he was nervous – _line forms behind me_ , she thought – and she wanted to ease his mind but she wasn’t sure telling him her suspicion would do that. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Felicity nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “I know. I just … I’m nervous?” she said, hating the way it sounded like a question. “Because what’s on my mind is really – it’s really big. Huge. Bigger than ... something really, really big.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together, okay?” he responded a little breathlessly.

She nodded again before closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. She repeated the action a couple of times before nodding to herself. “Okay. I wanted to say … or, I mean … okay.” She shifted slightly in his lap, trying to get more comfortable. Knowing that it wasn’t really possible at the moment, she told herself to stop stalling and talk to him. “I need to go to the pharmacy and I’d like you to come with me.”

Felicity watched as Oliver furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what she was talking about. She knew she was being vague and not giving him much to go on but the words felt like they were lodged in her throat. She wanted nothing more than to get them out but they felt stuck. “You want me to go to the pharmacy with you?” he asked slowly, confusion laced in every word. “That’s what this is all about?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, Felicity considered her next words. “Yes,” she answered, her own eyes narrowed in concentration. “Yes, it’s about wanting you to go with me to the pharmacy.” She took a deep breath, her eyes skirting away for a beat before turning back to him. “So we can pick up a couple of preg-pregnancy tests.”

Felicity felt Oliver go still beneath her. So still she could tell he stopped breathing. Her heart raced as she waited for him to react in a way other than perfecting his Greek statue impression. It made her more nervous than she had been before she told him and she wished he would say something. _Anything_ would work at this point. His silence was making this whole situation even more stressful and if she _was_ pregnant, she was pretty sure she shouldn’t be stressed. “Oliver?”

He was silent for another handful of beats before he seemed to snap out of it. “Yeah? Yes. Yes,” he answered quickly, his voice breathless and uneven. “Yes.” His eyes were wide as he stared at her, his jaw working as he froze again. “Yeah.”

It was the exact wrong time to laugh but she couldn’t help it. He couldn’t wrap his mind around her news and instead of freaking out, he was stiff and repeating the same words. “Oliver, are you okay?” she asked with a little smile.

“Yeah,” he replied as soon as she got the last word out. At her giggle, he shook his head again and inhaled deeply. Oliver held his breath for a second before blowing it out slowly and finally, _finally_ meeting her eyes. “We need to go to the – to the pharmacy, right?”

“Mhm,” she hummed her hands stroking over the back of his neck. “For many, many tests. Because we need to, um, be sure. Before I actually find a gyn -.”

“Doctor,” he cut in with a fervent nod. “Before you need to find a _doctor_.”

Felicity rolled her eyes and leaned in to give him a soft, quick kiss. “We’ve never talked about this,” she said quietly. “About …” She motioned to her middle section and pursed her lips.

“To be fair, we kind of just started doing things that could even lead to …” Oliver motioned to her stomach as well. “And, I mean, I thought we were careful.”

She nodded in agreement. “We have been. Like, religiously. Obviously the only statistical certainty for avoiding pregnancy is abstinence but I really don’t think that’s much of an option with us. Three years of unresolved sexual tension pretty much guaranteed we weren’t going to be able to do that. I mean, we could have but it would probably cause _more_ tension and then it would have been awkward and uncomfortable while we globetrotted to all those romantic, exotic destinations and we probably would have started fighting again and while it’s really hot when you get all mad, it probably wouldn’t have resulted in resolving said tension in such an explosive way I was dizzy for hours.”

Oliver smirked and ran his hand up her leg. “Felicity, calm down. I know we haven’t talked about it or anything but that’s … I mean, we don’t even know yet, right? It might not be something we have to talk about yet. It could just be, you know, stress, right? That can affect your …” He swirled his hand around below her waist and she shouldn’t stop herself from laughing again. “Hey,” her said, her voice taking on a grumpy tone, “that’s not funny.”

“It kid of is,” she chuckled, trying to calm herself down. “Big Bad Arrow can’t talk about my _lady parts_ or the various functions thereof.”

“One, I’m not the Arrow anymore and two … it sounds really clinical and I know you don’t like most of the colloquial terms for it. So I _can_ talk about it but I don’t, you know, like to.” He cleared his throat and took a breath before redirecting their conversation to where it was. “So we should go to the pharmacy so we can, um, find out, right? Find out if there’s a conversation we need to have about things that we haven’t even really thought about.”

“Yeah,” she answered, pushing herself out of his lap and standing. Holding her hands out to help him up.

He tugged her closer and leaned down to press his lips against hers. “Should have done that before,” he murmured. “Sorry I didn’t.”

“S’okay,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “It’s a lot to think about.”

“Whatever happens,” he promised, his own arms wrapping around her, “we’re gonna be okay.”

And an hour later when they were staring at six positive and one inconclusive pregnancy tests, Oliver wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair where her neck and shoulder met. She gripped the back of his shirt in her hands and held on tight, the nerves that had somehow dissipated before now back in full force. “Oliver,” she said, her voice shaky.

“I know,” he breathed, pressing a kiss against her hair. “I know. But we’ll figure it out. I promise.”


	14. One Small Step for Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS FOR THE SPOILERS AT SDCC. Oliver is spreading himself too thin and needs help in both his day and night jobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ship is Felicity/OC (mentioned) and you can see some Olicity in there too.
> 
> Apparently the writing bug bit me these last couple of days.

“Office of the Mayor, can you hold please? Thank you.”

“Office of the Mayor, this is Thea.”

“Office of the Mayor, hold please.”

“Office of the Mayor, Felicity Smoak speaking.”

“Office of the Mayor, please hold.”

“Office of the Mayor, please hold.”

Day after day it was the same thing. Oliver would go to work and spend less than two hours in his office before he was out the door for a meeting he wouldn’t pay attention to, a groundbreaking someone else had organized that he needed to attend, or the new bunker.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Thea groaned when the phones finally stopped ringing and only two lines remained lit. “Can you take this anymore?”

Sighing, Felicity leaned back in her chair and felt her back pop. With a relieved noise, she turned her neck to the left and right and then relaxed. “No,” she replied, her hand moving to knead at the back of her neck. “Someone needs to talk to him and since John is away, I say it should be you.”

“Me?” Thea asked in shocked. “No! It should be you!”

“It absolutely should not be me. He and I … we’re not in a place where he’s listening to me rationally.”

“Because of your _boyfriend_?” Thea teased, her eyebrows wiggling up and down and a saucy grin on her lips.

“If you must know, yes. Oliver’s never really been good at, you know …”

“Watching you make out with guys hotter than him who aren’t afraid to open up to the woman they’re with?” Felicity pointed to her nose and inclined her head to which Thea laughed. “He’ll come around. He’s just …”

“Stubborn?”

“Well, yes, but he’s also still in love with you. Like you are with him.”

Felicity pulled her lips into her mouth and exhaled harshly through her nose. It wasn’t an accusation that she could refute. It was fact and they both knew it – heck, Oliver knew it too – but it wasn’t something they were talking about. The team was fractured and Oliver was unfocused and those two things were much more important to be rectified than her romantic relationship with Oliver.

Besides, Jason was a nice guy. She was making it work with him and she was happy. Or, well, she was content, and that was enough for now.

“ _Anyway_ ,” she redirected, “I think you need to be the one who talks to him. I’ve got a big enough fight about what happens at night.” Of course that was when Oliver’s scheduling secretary walked past. “I mean after hours. When the work day is over. Not at night-night. Just when it’s dark out.” Wincing, she turned to her friend. “Made that worse, didn’t I?”

“At least you know who went to the papers if something like that shows up tomorrow,” Thea grinned.

Felicity groaned and closed her eyes, trying to relax for a moment. Less than thirty seconds later, she got four rapid-fire text messages. “Damnit, Oliver,” she grumbled, unlocking her phone and scanning what he wrote. “Seriously? Ugh!”

Frustrated and wanting to do just about _anything else_ , she stood and grabbed her purse. “I’m going to text Jason and let him know that I need to cancel tonight but if he shows up, can you please tell him I’ll call him later. It may or may not be my one phone call from a jail cell depending on what your brother puts me through when I get to the bunker.”

“Talk to him,” Thea called pleadingly as Felicity headed for the door. “ _Please_.”

Not bothering to verbally respond, she raised a hand in semi-agreement and walked out of the bullpen and towards the front door.

 

* * *

 

As Felicity stood in the elevator that descended to their new bunker, she mentally went over what she wanted to say to Oliver when she saw him. It was unacceptable that he was letting down the people of Star City, the people who put _so much faith_ in him, because his personal life was … well, it was a complete wreck. His best friend was gone, Laurel was permanently gone, he didn’t have anyone but his sister to go home to at night – she _hoped_ because she couldn’t handle the thought of him with another woman – and he obviously was in over his head.

She wanted to tell him that he needed to focus on one thing at a time and right now that thing should be the city. He was shirking his duties and leaving the daily governing to Thea and, as a back up, her. Neither of them had been elected and Felicity kind of absolutely hated bureaucracy. Thea was good, amazing even, but the young woman needed a break, needed to take some time and figure out what she was doing with her life, whether she was still on Team Arrow, whether she wanted to get out of Star City.

She wanted to tell him that they weren’t in a position to protect the city at night, which was very much needed since it wasn’t all that great in the daylight, without a real team. She didn’t go out into the field and she hated sending him out without backup. It made her more nervous than she’d been since joining the team. She’d always been able to count on John to have his back and now he wasn’t here. She was also worried about him but there was nothing she could do about that.

The thought of calling Roy crossed her mind but she’d dismissed it nearly immediately. He was the one who got out when the rest of them had let the city, the mission, keep them in its claws.

She’d tried to leave but because of her selfishness, Laurel died. And she wasn’t prepared for Darhk and Havenrock. Her attempt at getting out had resulted in thousands of deaths. She wasn’t vain enough to think she could have saved them all but she wasn’t an idiot; she knew if she’d been there a lot fewer lives would have been lost.

Taking a deep breath when the elevator stopped, she closed her eyes and centered herself. She stepped out of the cabin and into the main area of their new bunker, her eyes searching for Oliver. She found him at her computers and her eyes narrowed immediately. “Move.”

His head shot up and he looked over at her. “You’re here.”

“You texted,” she sighed as she dropped her purse onto the table. “You said you needed me.”

“And Thea,” he retorted, his body pushing back to, in all likelihood, search for his sister.

“She’s too busy doing your job,” she shot back, leaning against the table and crossing her arms. “And she’s not ready to be back down here yet.”

“We need her, Felicity,” Oliver responded testily. “With you staying behind every night …”

“Hold on right there,” she interrupted. “Don’t act like there’s any scenario in which you want me out in the field. And you know I don’t want to be out there unless absolutely necessary. With John and Sara both gone and Thea on hiatus, I know I’m your only choice but, Oliver, you know I’m not strong enough.”

“You’re plenty strong,” he replied, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “You’ve – you’ve come so far. You could probably even drag me down here from the back seat of your car.”

She couldn’t help it – she blushed. She saw in his eyes the moment his words registered and he couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. They let the moment settle over them and her previous anger melted to a simmer and her ever-present worry came to the forefront.

“Oliver,” she said softly, her voice low. “We can’t go on like this. Not in your office and not down here. We need help.” Oliver stared at her, his jaw working but words not coming. “I think it’s time.”

“Time?” he asked slowly, his brow furrowed and his voice thick. “Time for what?”

“Time to look for a new team. To find people who can help us save the city. You know we can’t do this alone, Oliver, I know you do.”

“I thought we could do anything together,” he murmured, his head down and his eyes shut.

Her hand moved to his shoulder without her brain authorizing it and she let out a breath. “We’re still going to do it together. We’re just going to have a few more people helping out.”

He looked up at her and she could tell his mind was taking it all in, trying to come up with alternatives, trying to come up with an argument. Felicity could tell as soon as he came to the same conclusion she had. His head rose slightly and he paused, screwing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath before he finally looked up and made eye contact. “Okay,” he breathed. “Okay. Where do we start?”

Smiling, she moved her hand to his cheek for a brief moment and then stepped back. “Palmer Tech,” she answered confidently. “We start at Palmer Tech.”


End file.
